Ecuador Travel Guide
Tags: Volunteer Travel / Surfing / Ecuador Travel / Water Sports / → All Tags
Surf For A Cause With A Volunteer Vacation In Ecuador
Dreading the doldrums of winter already? Instead of hibernating til spring, you could spend two weeks this January volunteering, surfing, and exploring private beaches, all while living in a beach side cottage just outside of Canoa, Ecuador. The Eco Surf Volunteer program matches volunteers with local elementary schools where they work hard teaching the kids English through games, activities and sports. But, they also find time to play hard. Each afternoon volunteers are taken to the area's best surf spots to catch some waves before going on a local excursion to meet indigenous tribes, visit re-forested mangrove islands or explore animal sanctuaries.
The daily schedule for the trip begins at 7:00 AM when breakfast is served before heading to a local school. There is a lunch break from Noon- 2:00 PM, which is when the afternoon surf lessons begin, followed by dinner at 7. Volunteers also have the option to take a free, private surf lesson from Ecuador's Junior Surf Champion and his team. Each night, Eco Surf also plans social activities like beach parties, bonfires or salsa dancing.
Tags: Travel Deals / Ecuador Travel / Ecotourism / Galapagos Island Travel / → All Tags
Spend Six Days Exploring the Galapagos for $1,399
Ever since The New York Times named the Galapagos Islands No. 3 on its "44 Places to Go in 2009," we've bumped it up on our own travel checklist. The islands, west of mainland Ecuador, inspired Charles Darwin to write The Origins of Species, so maybe the gorgeous islands will do the same for us, too. We're especially inspired by a six-night package that includes tours and airfare to the remote locale for $1,399.
The Travelzoo deal includes round-trip airfare to Ecuador from Miami (other departure cities are available for more moolah); flights between Quito, Baltra and Guayaquil; and all airport/hotel and hotel/port transfers.
Tags: Galapagos Islands Travel / Galapagos Travel / Adventure Travel / → All Tags
Get a Galapagos Fix With Sensitivity (But No Alex Trebek)
So you agree the gorgeous Galapagos Islands are in danger but you aren't lucky enough to win the Jeapordy! contest which would take you on a weeklong tour to the islands with host Alex Trebek. Then you're going to need to find some other eco-friendly way of getting close to the turtles and all the other Galapagos reasons-to-go, right?
We're considering the possibility that Natural Habitat Adventures might be an okay way to go, given that National Geographic Adventure rated them in the top ten tour operators in the world and they have a partnership with the World Wildlife Fund, two organizations that we have a fair bit of trust in.
Tags: Travel Contests / Jeopardy / Alex Trebek / National Geographic / Galapagos Islands Travel / → All Tags
What Is a Trip With Alex Trebek To the Galapagos Islands?
Answer: What you could win starting March 30th.
Did you know that the long-running American game show, Jeopardy!, is turning 25 this year? Amazing. Which means we've been honing our Jepoardy! quiz skills since we were five.
To celebrate this birthday, the show is putting together a rather cool contest offering 25 viewers a weeklong trip with dreamy host Alex Trebek to the Galápagos Islands.
In the first-ever travel expedition with Alex Trebek, sweepstakes winners and their guests will travel aboard the National Geographic Endeavour for a 10 day/9 night voyage, touring one of the most scientifically important and biologically interesting areas on Earth.
To enter the sweepstakes, viewers should watch Jeopardy! weekdays from March 30th to May 1st and then visit www.jeopardy.com to submit the correct Final Jeopardy! category from that day’s episode. 25 chances to win in 25 days!
The trip is actually a partnership with partnership with Lindblad Expeditions and National Geographic. For more info and to enter, visit Jeopardy's website. One person who will probably not be entering this contest? Sean Connery.
Related Stories
· Jeopardy! Galapagos Adventure[Jeopardy!]
Tags: It's Summer Somewhere / Volunteer Travel / Rainforests / → All Tags
Saving Rainforests In Ecuador
Walking through a splendid old-growth rainforest is an unforgettable trip experience. But where will you go when there are no more rainforests to walk through? Joining a United Planet trip to Ecuador for a volunteer vacation bumps up your karma and gets you access to one of the world's most pristine cloud forests.
A cloud forest is an evergreen tropical rainforest characterized by, well, a bunch of clouds. The super-moist environment encourages flowers and moss to grow, but any deforestation can kill those delicate plants as quickly as they spring up.
On United Planet's two-week trip, based two hours outside the capital of Quito at the Pahuma Ecological Reserve, volunteers will help spot flora and fauna in the protected forest, tidy trails and plant in local organic gardens. After all, it's not only the Galapagos that need help.
Related Stories:
· Travel Green Above Queensland's Rainforest [Jaunted]
· Volunteer Travel: One Week Wonders [Jaunted]
· Volunteer Travel coverage [Jaunted]
· It's Summer Somewhere coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: miguelo.perez]
Tags: Worlds-Best-Train-Trips-Map / Train Travel / Ecuador Travel / → All Tags
World's Greatest Train Travel: Pick of the Ecuadorean Hills
This week, we're mapping some of the world's greatest train trips.
Earlier this year, Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez declared his intention to string South America together by establishing a transcontinental train. While this type of border-crossing trip is still a matter of navigating the national railways of each country--where they even exist--it also means that hidden gems along the tracks tend to stay (a little more) hidden than the needle threading along the Eurail routes.
But the "Devil's Nose" in Ecuador isn't a train you take to get somewhere: It's pure sightseeing.
The Riobamba-to-Alausí route was so named because of the nearly sheer rock cliff the train was forced to ascend in order to get to the Andean city, a process it accomplishes by... well, watch the video, you might enjoy it. Those of strong stomach might enjoy a platano from a local farmer on the way up on the roof of the train. We'll just be cowering in our seats with one finger on the shutter button.
Related Stories:
· A Train to Cross All South America? [Treehugger]
· Theft and the Devil's Nose [Heldencrow.com]
· Ecuador Field Trip: Escape to Mindo [Jaunted]
Tags: Jaunted Field Trips / Jaunted in Ecuador / Ecuador Travel / Adventure Travel / → All Tags
Ecuador Field Trip: Escape to Mindo
Two of the Lost Girls are sharing their trips with us this week. Amanda just returned from Ecuador while Holly ventured to Antarctica.
One of Quito's greatest selling points? Within less than a day's travel from the city, you can reach the Amazon rainforest, the Andes mountains, the Pacific beaches, active volcanoes and of course, the country's namesake attraction: the equator.
My BF Jeff and I decided to skip out on the big painted stripe at Mitad del Mundo. (It's disappointing, we'd heard, since GPS now indicates that the actual equator is hundreds of feet away from the touristy hooplah.) Instead, we hopped a bus to a town called Mindo.
We'd attended an informal barbecue the day after our arrival and everyone--our hosts Andrew and Lau, their ex-pat friends, backpacker buddies and dozens of local Ecuadorian attendees--had recommended it as one of the best short trips from the city. If you can't make it all the way to the Amazon basin, Mindo will give you all the rainforest you can handle.
Tags: Jaunted Field Trips / Jaunted in Ecuador / Ecuador Travel / Bars / → All Tags
Ecuador Field Trip: Quito for Beginners
Long-haul travel is tough enough on your body without subjecting it a rock-hard, critter-infested guesthouse mattress. At least, not on your first night in town.
To ensure that my boyfriend Jeff and I would rest and repair in record time, we went the 300-thread count, mint-on-the-pillow route by booking at a weekend's stay at the Marriott Quito. While the room cost us less than $150 online, I later learned that spontaneous types can wander into the hotel and ask for a discounted rate on weekends. (We're talking up to 50 percent off during low season.)
We also liked that the place was a two-minute walk from The Mariscal, a touristy district the locals affectionately refer to as "Gringolandia."
Tags: Jaunted Field Trips / Jaunted in Ecuador / Ecuador Travel / HOWTO / → All Tags
Ecuador Field Trip: Trying to Get off the Ground
When I traveled around the world with two girlfriends last year, the three of us often relied on dumb luck and the kindness of strangers to get us from point A to B safely. And if we missed a bus or a flight was delayed? No harm, no foul--after all, we had 12 months to accomplish our globe-lapping mission, right?
But that ease-of-attitude drastically changes when you're planning an eight-day trip to Ecuador with a new boyfriend. My method for making sure everything went right was to carefully plan every detail so that nothing could possibly go wrong. Which, of course, was the fastest way to ensure that everything did.
As dominoes toppled, I struggled to maintain the new girlfriend illusion that I'm a fun, lighthearted traveler--and not a thoroughly seasoned, take-no-bullshit road warrior. In the end, all pretenses went to pot and bitchy won out. My top four travel snafus--and solutions for next time--after the jump.
Tags: It's Summer Somewhere / It's-Summer-Somewhere / Islands / National Parks / → All Tags
It's Summer Somewhere: Galapagos Islands
As the snow falls in our 'hood, we're day dreaming of summer. Heading to the Galapagos in Ecuador, for the annual celebration of "Galapagos Days" is current obsession. Each island has its own parades and all out revelry the second week of February every year.
This month also brings lots of cool things to see there in the animal arena. Marine iguanas and flamingos begin to nest, and white-cheeked pintails start breeding. How would we see it all? Probably on a 7 day cruise on the M/S Alta, a three-masted schooner that has old-world charm and comes with all meals and your very own naturalist aboard for the trip.
True, lots of tourism to the islands has consequences, but if you do your trip right, you'll be able to enjoy the natural wonders without damaging 'em.
Related Stories:
· World's Best National Parks: Galapagos Islands [Jaunted]
· It's Summer Somewhere Coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: angela7dreams]
Tags: Galapagos Travel / UNESCO / Galapagos National Park / Green Travel / Environment / Islands / World Heritage Sites / → All Tags
UNESCO Travel: Galapagos Islands "In Danger"
Meanwhile on the opposite side of the world...
We may think of it as one of the world's best, but the Galapagos National Park is in trouble. A boom in tourism to the islands--145,000 visitors dropped by in 2006 compared to 40,000 in 1990--is putting the delicate ecosystem at risk. That recently earned it a special spot on UNESCO's World Heritage list: as a site "in danger."
What does that mean? Non-native species are being introduced to the islands, big ships are detracting from the natural splendor and sport fishing is having an impact on wildlife below the water. And as more and more people come to the islands, there's a better chance that visitors will overwhelm the delicate balance that makes the islands special.
The president of the Galapagos Conservancy, which supports preservation projects in the islands, says her group isn't trying to discourage tourism but rather promote the area in a responsible way:
We have found that when tourists actually visit the Galapagos, they leave caring about it and wanting to support all conservation efforts.
Related Stories:
· Can Darwin's Lab Survive Success? [NYT]
· World's Best National Parks: Galapagos Islands [Jaunted]
· Green Travel coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: The Lilac Breasted Roller]
Tags: Backpackers / Budget Travel / South American Travel / Budget Travel Magazine / Jason Cohen / → All Tags
Spontaneous Spin to the Equator
We love a spot of spontaneous travel. You know the kind: grab a guidebook at the last minute, hop on a plane, then make all your travel decisions on the fly. Recently the crew at Budget Travel sent writer Jason Cohen on a bit of a mystery trip so he could log the pros and cons of this kind of spontaneous trip.
He and his wife Susan ended up in southern Ecuador: Guayaquil, to be precise. With no advance knowledge of the attractions, transport or accommodation in southern Ecuador, Jason and Susan stumbled around the country--spending a stack of time in buses--but still experiencing a bit of the real Ecuador.
They made sure not to miss the equator at the Museo de Sitio Inti-ñan, where there are basically trick sinks that show the water draining clockwise and counter-clockwise, depending on which hemisphere you stand in. If that's all they really got to see on their spontaneous trip, we'd still rate that as worth it.
Related Stories:
· We Have No Idea Where We're Going [Budget Travel]
· Hotels in Ecuador [HotelChatter]
· Travel Stories in Ecuador [Jaunted]
[Photo: T-Oh!&Matt]
